On August 17, Brazil received the first prototype of the 8×8 Centauro II Armored Combat Vehicle (VBC), acquired through direct contracting under RFP COLOG No. 01/2022 for the Cavalry Combat Armored Vehicle – Medium on Wheels 8×8 (VBC Cav MSR 8×8) project. This vehicle is part of the Army’s Strategic Program for Armored Forces (Prg EE F Bld).
In June, the vehicle was held by German authorities at the port of Hamburg due to an alleged lack of a transport guide, raising concerns in military circles in Brazil, with speculation about possible diplomatic components behind these bureaucratic issues.
The second vehicle is expected to arrive in Brazil in the coming weeks. The initial batch still needs to undergo testing, which will be crucial for the signing of the main contract to acquire 96 armored vehicles, with an estimated cost of 900 million euros. Initially, the Army intended to purchase a total of 221 armored vehicles.
The VBC Cav MSR 8×8 Project
On October 7, 2022, the Brazilian Army, through the Logistics Command (COLOG) and the Directorate of Material (DMat), published a shortlist of the three pre-selected proposals for its new cavalry armored combat vehicle:
- Centauro II, from the Iveco–OTO Melara Consortium (CIO).
- LAV 700 AG, from General Dynamics Land Systems – Canada (GDLS-C).
- T1-BR, 105 mm, from North Industries Group Corp (Norinco).
The Italian consortium Iveco–OTO Melara (CIO) won the public tender by being the only one to offer a 120 mm cannon (Leonardo HITFACT MkII turret), while the other competitors offered a 105 mm cannon. The competition considered criteria such as technical aspects, price, offsets, and integrated logistics support (ILS).
An important requirement that led to the elimination of some proposals and the withdrawal of some companies in the Request for Information (RFI) was the requirement that the complete system, consisting of the vehicle and turret, already be in series production.
*Images by the Brazilian army.
You may also like: The Brazilian Army launches a tender for towed 105 mm howitzers
